Over the course of five years, the Reserve Officers Association of the United States-the nation's oldest such professional military organization-invited its members to write about their experiences in World War II. The response was an impressive outpouring of memories, now compiled here in an extraordinary record of courage, sacrifice, and commitment.Stories from 240 veterans-representing all theaters, ranks, and services-track the years of World War II month by month. From the young ensign's letter to his fiance, describing his escape from the USS Cassin minutes before it explodes at Pearl Harbor, to the battle-seasoned colonel's account of his flyover at the peace-treaty signing aboard the USS Missouri, the stories give a human face to the moments of war, written by men and women who intimately lived those history-making days, on bombing missions and invasion duty, on front lines and the home front.Readers will meet a survivor of the USS Reuben James, sunk by a German U-boat before December 7, 1941, and eight D-Day invaders of Normandy, including Lieutenant Colonel J. Strom Thurmond, paratrooper. They will also meet a bodyguard to General Douglas MacArthur and the nurses who healed the fallen in huts on Bataan, the hospital ship Shamrock in the Mediterranean, and field hospitals in France.Here, too, are personal accounts by Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASPs) and the battlehardened engineers of the Seabees in the Pacific. Other veterans tell of surviving the sinking of the troopship Leopoldville, when 750 Americans died in the English Channel on Christmas Eve, 1944; the horrific discovery of the Nazi extermination camps; and the tragic bombings near war's end of unmarked Japanese ships transporting U.S. POWs from the Philippines.Featuring photographs, a chronology, and historical introductions, this book-thanks to these stories by ordinary soldiers, sailors, airmen, marines, and nurses-is destined to become an enduring testimony to the American experience in World War II.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
"Carol Kelly lets the citizen soldiers of World War II speak for themselves in this moving and magisterial account of the great crusade. She weaves their personal remembrances into a rich and complex story of the American soldier at war." -- James Jay Carafano, author of GI Ingenuity: Improvisation, Technology, and Winning World War II
"Voices of My Comrades brings us directly into the heart and soul of America's WWII soldiers. Chronologically and simultaneously portrayed on multiple fronts, Carol Kelly's collection presents a full panorama of front-line action through the eyes of those who experienced it." -- Frank Selden, author of Finding Faith in Fury
"Voices of My Comrades is a compelling account of what took place during World War II in the words of those who were there. This collection of letters, stories and reminiscences of so many reveal the bravery, heroism and just plain determination shown by the men and women serving our country at such a critical point in history. A sobering reminder of what it means to fight for what you believe in." -- Sara Horn, author of A Greater Freedom: Stories of Faith from Operation Iraqi Freedom
"Voices of My Comrades provides great insight into the personal experiences and sacrifices of many members of the WWII generation, who by history and fate were handed extraordinary challenges, and who responded overwhelmingly to the call to duty." -- Bob Dole
"Voices of my Comrades features so many exhilarating and untold accounts, it is as if the story of the war were being told for the first time. This book is an extraordinary achievement and a much-needed contribution to the canon of great World War II literature." -- Andrew Carroll, author of War Letters and Behind the Lines
"This collection of personal stories from America's citizen-soldiers, sailors, and airmen forcefully reminds us of their many contributions and sacrifices, not just in combat, but in ferrying aircraft across Africa, pushing Lend-Lease supplies through Iran to Russia, defending desolate outposts in Iceland and the Aleutians, or enduring long months of often brutal captivity. Kelly weaves these unassuming, frank accounts into a compelling narrative." -- Peter Kindsvatter, author of American Soldiers: Ground Combat in the World Wars, Korea and Vietnam
"Tracks the years of WWII through stories from 240 veterans." -- Publishers Weekly, August 6, 2007
"Voices of My Comrades brings us directly into the heart and soul of America's WWII soldiers. Chronologically and simultaneously portrayed on multiple fronts, Carol Kelly's collection presents a full panorama of front-line action through the eyes of those who experienced it." -- Frank Selden, author of Finding Faith in Fury
"Voices of My Comrades is a compelling account of what took place during World War II in the words of those who were there. This collection of letters, stories and reminiscences of so many reveal the bravery, heroism and just plain determination shown by the men and women serving our country at such a critical point in history. A sobering reminder of what it means to fight for what you believe in." -- Sara Horn, author of A Greater Freedom: Stories of Faith from Operation Iraqi Freedom
"Voices of My Comrades provides great insight into the personal experiences and sacrifices of many members of the WWII generation, who by history and fate were handed extraordinary challenges, and who responded overwhelmingly to the call to duty." -- Bob Dole
"Voices of my Comrades features so many exhilarating and untold accounts, it is as if the story of the war were being told for the first time. This book is an extraordinary achievement and a much-needed contribution to the canon of great World War II literature." -- Andrew Carroll, author of War Letters and Behind the Lines
"This collection of personal stories from America's citizen-soldiers, sailors, and airmen forcefully reminds us of their many contributions and sacrifices, not just in combat, but in ferrying aircraft across Africa, pushing Lend-Lease supplies through Iran to Russia, defending desolate outposts in Iceland and the Aleutians, or enduring long months of often brutal captivity. Kelly weaves these unassuming, frank accounts into a compelling narrative." -- Peter Kindsvatter, author of American Soldiers: Ground Combat in the World Wars, Korea and Vietnam
"Tracks the years of WWII through stories from 240 veterans." -- Publishers Weekly, August 6, 2007
About the Author
CAROL ADELE KELLY, a Cincinnati-based editor and writer, is project officer and copy editor of The Officer magazine of the Reserve Officers Association of the United States, where these stories originally appeared.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By L. Garra
Format:Hardcover
This book includes over 200 stories written by the men and women who served in World War 2. Many thousands of our WW2 vets die each year and this book has preserved the stories of those who recount their experiences. This is a must have book for historians, war buffs, those who have served in any conflict. It is a great read!!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Compiled and edited by Carol Adele Kelly (Project Officer and Copy Editor of 'The Officer' magazine), "Voices of My Comrades: America's Reserve Officers Remember World War II" is a collection of written experiences by members of the Reserve Officers Association of the United States (the nation's oldest such professional military organization) in a special project undertaken over a five year period. This remarkable 547-page anthology of anecdotal stories contributed by 240 veterans track the four years of World War II month by month, representing all the war-time theaters, and come from men of all ranks and from all services - including personal accounts by Women Airforce Service Pilots. Enhanced with the inclusion of photographs, a chronology, and an informative historical introduction, "Voices of My Comrades" is a seminal work that ranges from personal accounts of survival, Nazi extermination camps, and the bombing of unmarked Japanese ships transporting American POWs from the Philippines near the war's end. Simply stated, "Voices of My Comrades" is a superbly informative addition to any personal, academic, or community library World War II military reference collection.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Voices of my Comrades is a compelling and gripping account from the men that stood in the face evil and didn't back down. It's not your typical "war stories" book, Voices of my Comrades allows you to walk side-by-side with those in the trenches, on the battelfield, in the infermary, and in the midst of the fight. You feel the action, the fear, the heroism, and the tears, as these men pave their way into history and Carol Kelly does a trmendous job allowing you into their hearts, minds, and soul. Great book. I highly recommend it to the war historian on down to those just trying to appreciate the price that was paid for our freedom. It's a great read and a for the depth and beauty of this book it's priced at a steal. My humble opinion gives this one 5 stars and a high recommendation. Nicely done.
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